ZOOLOGICAL SURVfYtI

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Rec. zool. Sllrv. : l09(Part-I): 111-112,2009 Short COlnlnunicatioll

RANGE EXTENSION OF A TREE TAENIATUS (BOULENGER, 1906)

Polypedates taeniatus (Boulenger, 1906) was described from Purneah District of Bihar State. Subsequently, it was reported from Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh (Ray, 1991) and Orang National Park, Assam (Ahmed and Dutta 2000).

Polypedates taeniatus (Boulenger, 1906) is a slender, smooth-skinned arboreal frog. The body is torpedo shaped. Snout-Vent length: 47 mm. Vomerine teeth in two oblique series between the choanae. Head a little longer than broad, snout truncate or obtusely acuminate, as long as the diameter of the orbit, concave nostril much nearer the end of the snout than the eye, inter orbital space broader than the upper eyelid, tympanum two third or three fourth the diameter of the eye. Fingers free, toes barely half webbed, disks moderately large, that of the third finger lTIeasuring about two fifth the diameter of the eye. Subarticular tubercles oloderate. Tibio-tarsal articulation reaching the eye. Skin smooth or finely areolate above, belly granular. Purplish brown above, a narrow lighter vertebral line, a broad light band frool the upper eyelid to the groin, bordered above and beneath by a dark-bown band, the lower extending over the temple and the loreal region to the end of the snout, a white streak froIn below the eye to the shoulder, no dark bars on the liITIbs, a light streak along the outer side of the tibia, lower parts white. Compared to Prnaculatus and P leuco111ystax this species differs by having narrower head with vertical lores, smaller digital disks and by absence of all traces of web between the fingers. On our survey tour in Uttar Pradesh in the month of JUly, 2008, 06 specimens of Polypedatcs taeniatus were collected. The collection data of which are given below. Registration Sex Collection Area Date of Habitat Number collection AI0774 Male Ravali Forest Area, 21.07.2008 Crop land area collected Bijnor on Maize Plant AI0775 Male Ravali Forest Area, 21.07.2008 Crop land area collected Bijnor on Maize Plant AI0776 Male Hastinapur Forest, 25.07.2008 Grass land area collectcd Meerut on tall _grasscs I 12 Rec. zool. Surv. !tulia

Registration Sex Co lectio A ea Date of Habitat Number collection

I AI0777 Male Hastinapur Forest, , 25.07.2008 Grass land area coUe,cted Meerut on tall grasses AI0778 Male Ram-'Ganga River 29 ..07 .2008 Grass land area ,coHected bank, Moradabad on grasse AI0779 Male Ram-Ganga River 29,.07.2008 Grass land ar,ea collect,ed

I I bank, Moradabad I I on grasses

The prcence of P. faelliatus in western d' tricts of Uttar Pradesh indi,cates Its po sible occurrence in adjacent states of Uttaranchal and Haryana too. However the occurrence of P taelliatus in fair numbers in Western districts of Uttar Pradesh state extends the westward range distribution of this species for about 272 km from its earlier known distributional limits in Uttar Pradesh.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Fig • PO/Yl'edal(!S taenialus (Boulcnger, [906) We thank Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Wildlife Warden of Uttar Pradesh State for penni' sion and support provided to conduct the survey in the area. We are very Inuch thankful to Shri Ganesh Bhat, D.F.O. for valuable suggestions. We ar·e very much indebt _d to the Director, Zoological Survey of India for facililies and all other staffs of ZSI particularly Dr. P. Mukhopadhyay, ole Coleopetera Section for encouragement.

REFERENCES

Ahnlcd, M. E and Dunu, S. K. (2000). First r,ecord of Po/ypedates taeniatus (Boulenger, 1906) from Assanl, north-castern India. Hanladl)'ad. 25( 1) : 49-50. Boulenger, G. . (1906). Description of two new Indian , Calcutta, J. Proc. Asia!., Soc. B.e.llg .., eN.Sr.) 2 : 385-386. Ray, P. (199 1). On the natural dislribution of the rare tree frog Rl.zacophorous taeniatus Boulenger, 1906 (Anura: Rhucophoridae) with notes on its biology and osteology, J. BOnlba) nat. His!, Soc. , 88(3) : 376-380.

V.• D • H EGDE,.* S R OY ** AND. 8. . L AL * *Zoological Survey of India, M·Block, New Alipore, Kolkata· 700 053 **Zoo[ogical Survey of India, Fire Proof Spirit Building, 1.L. Nehru Road, Kolkata·700 016